Using transaction data from first transaction for second transaction

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method for providing payment account information in a user account by receiving payment card information by a card reader at a point of sale. An account can be created when the payment card information is read by the card reader. Optionally, a gift card can be scanned prior to the creation of the account, and the gift card information can be combined with the payment card information. The gift card can be an electronic gift card which can be personalized with textual, visual, video, and/or audio portions.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/291,980 entitled “Using Card Present TransactionData to Generate Payment Transaction Account” which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/918,814, entitled “Using CardPresent Transaction Data to Generate Payment Transaction Account,” filedon Oct. 21, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/943,617, entitled “Using Card Present Transaction Data toGenerate Payment Transaction Account,” filed on Jul. 16, 2013, whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/700,555, filed on Sep. 13, 2012, each of which is incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Consumers routinely make purchases using payment cards, such as plasticcredit or debit cards. Such plastic cards typically have magneticstripes or chips that are encoded with information, such as a consumer'saccount information. A credit or a debit card may be used in a businesstransaction with a bank or creditor through use of a device thatcommunicates with the bank or creditor, such as, for example anautomated teller machine (ATM) or a credit card reader.

Credit cards having standard specifications can typically be read bypoint-of-sale devices at the location of a merchant. When the card iscoupled to an electronic card reader at the merchant, such as a platformcard reader, the electronic card reader may use its built-incommunications interface to contact a creditor that handles creditauthentication requests to process the transaction. The transaction maybe finalized upon verification of the consumer's account information andthe receipt of an approval signal from the creditor.

Despite the prevalence of systems and methods that implement point ofsale transactions using plastic cards, plastic cards can proveproblematic in situations in which a merchant does not accept paymentusing a plastic card or a communications link from the merchant to thecreditor is inoperable.

SUMMARY

A need may exist for the use of payment systems that do not require thepresence of plastic cards at point of sale transactions. This can occurwith the user of user accounts that can have payment informationassociated therewith. In some embodiments, the user accounts can becreated and/or payment information can be associated with user accountsbased on an initial read of a payment card. In future transactions, thepayment cards need not be swiped, and the payment card informationassociated with the user account can be used.

A computer-implemented method may be provided, said method comprising:receiving consent from the payer to enter into a payment transactionwith the merchant without the presence of a payment card; upon receivingconsent, providing the merchant with information identifying the payer,the information including at least one of a name or a photo of thepayer; receiving, from the merchant, a selection of the payer's useraccount and an instruction to process the payment transaction with thepayer; and using a gift card associated with the payer's user account toprocess the payment transaction. One or more of the steps may beperformed with aid of a programmable processor.

Additionally, a computer-implemented method for creating a user accountmay be provided, comprising: receiving payment card information from acard reader at a point of sale; and creating, with aid of a processor, auser account including the payment card information for an individualthat provided the payment card at the point of sale, wherein the useraccount can be used for future transactions using the payment cardinformation without the presence of the payment card.

Aspects may include a computer-implemented method for adding paymentinformation to a user account, comprising: receiving payment cardinformation from a card reader at a point of sale; and storing, in amemory, the payment card information for a user that provided thepayment card at the point of sale and associating the payment card withthe user's account, wherein the user account can be used for futuretransactions using the payment card information without the presence ofthe payment card.

Also, a system for creating a user account may be provided, said systemcomprising: a card reader at a point of sale configured to read paymentcard information; a scanner at the point of sale configured to read giftcard information; and a programmable processor configured to receive thepayment card information and the gift card information, and create auser account including the payment card information and the gift cardinformation for an individual that provided the payment card and thegift card at the point of sale, wherein the user account can be used forfuture transactions using the payment card information without thepresence of the payment card.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will becomereadily apparent to those skilled in this art from the followingdetailed description, wherein only illustrative embodiments of thepresent disclosure are shown and described. As will be realized, thepresent disclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, andits several details are capable of modifications in various obviousrespects, all without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, thedrawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature,and not as restrictive.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in thisspecification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each individual publication, patent, or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The novel features of the claimed invention are set forth withparticularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of thefeatures and advantages will be obtained by reference to the followingdetailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, and theaccompanying drawings or figures (also “FIG.” or “FIGS.” herein) ofwhich:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an aspect of a mobile payment system,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 provides an example of an aspect of a mobile payment systemprovided in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a payment interface provided at a point ofsale in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of how information from multiple sourcescan be combined to automatically create a user account in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 provides an example of a process flow for utilizing a paymentcard swipe in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While various embodiments of the invention have been shown and describedherein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that suchembodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations,changes, and substitutions may occur to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the invention. It should be understood that variousalternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may beemployed.

The term “merchant,” as used herein, generally refers to an individual,business or other entity, the occupation of which is the sale of goodsfor profit or, alternatively, trade of an item of value for another itemof value. In an example, a merchant is a retail business or ashopkeeper. A merchant may be an online business or entity offering aproduct or service for profit of trade. Examples of merchants include,without limitation, food stores, grocery stores, electronic stores,department stores, bars, clubs, restaurants, mobile merchants (e.g.,food trucks) and book stores.

The term “user,” as used herein, generally refers to an individual orentity that uses systems and methods of the disclosure. A user can be anindividual or entity that wishes to purchase a product or service of amerchant. A user can be a payer. In some situations, a user may be aconsumer, buyer, or purchaser.

In one aspect, systems and methods use transaction information togenerate or supplement a user account. Various aspects described hereincan be applied to any of the particular applications set forth below,alone or in combination, or for any other types of financial transactionsystem at one or more point of sale. The embodiments described hereinmay be applied as a standalone system or method, or as part of anintegrated consumer side and merchant side information handling system.It shall be understood that different aspects can be appreciatedindividually, collectively, or in combination with each other.

In some embodiments, a transaction system is provided at a point ofsale, such as a merchant location. A buyer can purchase goods and/orservices at the point of sale. In some embodiments, the merchant is apart of the transaction system which is capable of accessing useraccount information to facilitate a financial transaction. Thetransaction system can also have access to merchant information (e.g.,transactions, inventory). For example, if the buyer is a user of thesystem, the merchant can access the buyer's user information to permitthe financial transaction. In some instances, the buyer's accountincludes payment card information (e.g., credit/debit card number,expiration date, security code, cardholder name, etc.), which can beprovided to the merchant during a financial transaction. The paymentcard information can be provided to the merchant without requiring thepresence of the physical payment card. For instance, the buyer can havethe physical payment card in his or her wallet, or does not have thephysical payment card on his or her person, but the payment cardinformation can be pulled from the user account and provided to themerchant regardless. A buyer can have a mobile device which canfacilitate the transfer of the payment card information to the merchant.The payment card can be stored locally on the mobile device or can bestored remotely.

A buyer can create an account prior to approaching the point of saleand/or prior to conducting a transaction. For example, a buyer canregister with the system using the buyer's mobile device or anotherdevice. The buyer can choose to enter payment card information throughthe buyer's device when creating the buyer's account. In some instances,a buyer types in or manually enters the buyer's payment card informationwhen creating the buyer's account. The buyer's payment card informationcan be used at the point of sale without requiring the presence of thebuyer's card.

Alternatively, the buyer can create an account prior to approaching thepoint of sale, but need not enter payment card information at the timeof account creation. When the buyer reaches the point of sale andinitiates the transaction with the buyer's payment card, the buyer canbe presented with an option to store the payment card information in thebuyer's account. Thus, in future transactions, the buyer is not requiredto have the physical payment card on his or her person in order toconduct a transaction. Linking the payment card to the buyer's accountat the point of sale can provide a smooth process, without requiring thebuyer to manually enter the payment card information. A swipe or otherprocedure can be used to collect the payment card information withoutrequiring the physical entering of digits. This can reduce thelikelihood of a mistake or inconvenience of having to physically enterthe payment card. A ‘one-swipe’ technique can be used to link paymentcard information to an account. The use of the physical payment card canalso provide a sense of security to the buyer and/or the merchant. Forexample, some buyers can be wary of entering sensitive information overa network, where the information may be intercepted. The merchants canalso advantageously view a user with a physical payment card, and canoptionally ask for identification for added reassurance of payment cardvalidity and/or identity.

In another embodiment, the buyer need not create an account prior toapproaching the point of sale. When the buyer reaches the point of saleand initiates the transaction with the buyer's payment card, the buyercan be presented with an option to create a user account which includesstoring the payment card information in the buyer's account. The accountcan be created by using the payment card information. The buyer may alsooptionally be asked to provide supplemental information (e.g., thebuyer's name, email address). In some instances, the buyer can be usinga gift card during the same transaction. For example, the buyer can usea gift card, but the gift card balance may not be sufficient to coverthe entire expense. The payment card can be used to cover the rest ofthe expense. The gift card can be an electronic gift card, which caninclude buyer information therein (e.g., the buyer's name, emailaddress). The information from the gift card can automatically be pulledand combined with the payment card information to create a user account.In future transactions, the buyer is not required to have the physicalpayment card on his or her person in order to conduct a transaction.Creating the user account using the payment card and a gift card orother form of supplemental information can provide a smooth process,without requiring the buyer to manually enter any information ahead oftime. Permitting an account to be created with merely swipe and/or ascan can encourage the creation of accounts, as little or no extra timeor effort is required on the buyer's end. The buyer need not manuallyenter any information in the creation of the account. In some instances,no manual entry of information is required, either prior to arriving atthe point of sale, or at the point of sale. Thus a ‘one-swipe’ and/or‘swipe/scan-only’ technique can be used to create an account. This canalso reduce the likelihood of a mistake or inconvenience of having tophysically enter information. The use of the physical payment cardand/or gift card can also provide a sense of security to the buyerand/or the merchant.

In one aspect, systems are configured to implement methods of thedisclosure. The systems may be directed to aspects of a mobile paymentsystem in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The systemscan include a computer server (“server”) that is operatively coupled toan electronic device of a user and/or an electronic device of amerchant. Any description of a server may apply to a single server ormultiple servers in communication with one another. A server may be aconsolidated or distributed system. In some instances, any descriptionof a server may apply to a cloud computing infrastructure.

FIG. 1 shows a system 100 adapted to enable a user to interact withmerchants, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The system100 includes a central computer server (“server”) 101 that is programmedto implement one or more of the exemplary methods described herein. Theserver 101 includes a central processing unit (CPU, also “processor” and“computer processor” herein) 105, which can be a single core or multicore processor, or a plurality of processors for parallel processing.The server 101 also includes memory 110 (e.g., random-access memory,read-only memory, flash memory), electronic storage unit 115 (e.g., harddisk), communications interface 120 (e.g., network adapter) forcommunicating with one or more other systems, and peripheral devices125, such as cache, other memory, data storage and/or electronic displayadapters. The memory 110, storage unit 115, interface 120 and peripheraldevices 125 are in communication with the CPU 105 through acommunications bus (solid lines), such as a motherboard. The storageunit 115 can be a data storage unit (or data repository) for storingdata. The server 101 is operatively coupled to a computer network(“network”) 130 with the aid of the communications interface 120. Thenetwork 130 can be the Internet, an internet and/or extranet, or anintranet and/or extranet that is in communication with the Internet. Thenetwork 130 in some cases is a telecommunication and/or data network.The network 130 can include one or more computer servers, which canenable distributed computing, such as cloud computing. The network 130in some cases, with the aid of the server 101, can implement apeer-to-peer network, which may enable devices coupled to the server 101to behave as a client or a server.

The storage unit 115 can store files, such as filed related to merchantprofiles and/or accounts, and user profiles. The server 101 in somecases can include one or more additional data storage units that areexternal to the server 101, such as located on a remote server that isin communication with the server 101 through an intranet or theInternet.

The storage unit 115 can store user and merchant transactionalinformation. The storage unit 115 can store user transactionalinformation, which can include, without limitation, personal informationabout the user (e.g., the user name, contact information), financialinformation (e.g., e.g., user payment card number, expiration date,security code, cardholder name), merchants from which the user haspurchased products and/or services, the number of times the user hasused a merchant, the frequency with which the user purchases productsand/or services from a merchant, the types of merchants from which theuser purchases products and/or services.

The server 101 can communicate with one or more remote computer systemsthrough the network 130. In the illustrated example, the server 101 isin communication with a first computer system 135 and a second computersystem 140 that are located remotely with respect to the server 101. Inthe illustrated example, the first computer system 135 is a merchantcomputer system that may have a database for recording transaction data,and the second computer system 140 is a user computer system, such as acomputer system of a potential purchaser of a service or product of themerchant. The first computer system 135 and second computer system 140can be, for example, personal computers (e.g., portable PC), slate ortablet PC's (e.g., Apple® iPad, Samsung® Galaxy Tab), telephones, Smartphones (e.g., Apple® iPhone, Android-enabled device, Blackberry®), orpersonal digital assistants.

In an example, the second computer system 140 is a portable electronicdevice of a user that desires to search for and find merchants at or inproximity to a geolocation of the user. If the second computer system issufficiently close to a merchant, the second computer system maycommunicate with the server and/or the first computer system. The usercan access the server 101 via the network 130 to request the search. Theserver 101 can conduct the search and transmit search results to thesecond computer system 140 of the user. The search results can bedisplayed on a graphical user interface of the second computer system140. In some cases, both the first computer system 135 and the secondcomputer system 140 have a geolocation.

In some situations the system 100 includes a single server 101. In othersituations, the system 100 includes multiple servers in communicationwith one another through an intranet and/or the Internet.

The server 101 can be adapted to store user profile information, suchas, for example, a name, physical address, email address, telephonenumber, instant messaging (IM) handle, payment information, educationalinformation, work information, social likes and/or dislikes, productslikes and/or dislikes, merchant preferences, favorites types ofmerchants (e.g., restaurants preferred over bars) and historicalinformation of past transactions of the user (which may be transactionsmade using the system 100), and other information of potential relevanceto the user or other users. Such profile information can be stored onthe storage unit 115 of the server 101.

Methods as described herein can be implemented by way of machine (orcomputer processor) executable code (or software) stored on anelectronic storage location of the server 101, such as, for example, onthe memory 110 or electronic storage unit 115. During use, the code canbe executed by the processor 105. In some cases, the code can beretrieved from the storage unit 115 and stored on the memory 110 forready access by the processor 105. In some situations, the electronicstorage unit 115 can be precluded, and machine-executable instructionsare stored on memory 110. Alternatively, the code can be executed on thesecond computer system 140 of the user.

The code can be pre-compiled and configured for use with a machine havea processer adapted to execute the code, or can be compiled duringruntime. The code can be supplied in a programming language that can beselected to enable the code to execute in a pre-compiled or as-compiledfashion.

Non-transitory computer readable media can be stored in one or morememory unit described herein. The computer readable media can includecode, logic, or instructions for performing one or more steps describedherein.

Aspects of the systems and methods provided herein, such as the server101, can be embodied in programming. Various aspects of the technologymay be thought of as “products” or “articles of manufacture” typicallyin the form of machine (or processor) executable code and/or associateddata that is carried on or embodied in a type of machine readablemedium. Machine-executable code can be stored on an electronic storageunit, such memory (e.g., read-only memory, random-access memory, flashmemory) or a hard disk. “Storage” type media can include any or all ofthe tangible memory of the computers, processors or the like, orassociated modules thereof, such as various semiconductor memories, tapedrives, disk drives and the like, which can provide non-transitorystorage at any time for the software programming. All or portions of thesoftware may at times be communicated through the Internet or variousother telecommunication networks. Such communications, for example, mayenable loading of the software from one computer or processor intoanother, for example, from a management server or host computer into thecomputer platform of an application server. Thus, another type of mediathat may bear the software elements includes optical, electrical andelectromagnetic waves, such as used across physical interfaces betweenlocal devices, through wired and optical landline networks and overvarious air-links. The physical elements that carry such waves, such aswired or wireless links, optical links or the like, also can beconsidered as media bearing the software. As used herein, unlessrestricted to non-transitory, tangible “storage” media, terms such ascomputer or machine “readable medium” refer to any medium thatparticipates in providing instructions to a processor for execution.

Hence, a machine readable medium, such as computer-executable code, maytake many forms, including but not limited to, a tangible storagemedium, a carrier wave medium or physical transmission medium.Non-volatile storage media include, for example, optical or magneticdisks, such as any of the storage devices in any computer(s) or thelike, such as may be used to implement the databases, etc. shown in thedrawings. Volatile storage media include dynamic memory, such as mainmemory of such a computer platform. Tangible transmission media includecoaxial cables; copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires thatcomprise a bus within a computer system. Carrier-wave transmission mediamay take the form of electric or electromagnetic signals, or acoustic orlight waves such as those generated during radio frequency (RF) andinfrared (IR) data communications. Common forms of computer-readablemedia therefore include for example: a floppy disk, a flexible disk,hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD orDVD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards paper tape, any otherphysical storage medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a ROM, a PROM andEPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wavetransporting data or instructions, cables or links transporting such acarrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer may readprogramming code and/or data. Many of these forms of computer readablemedia may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or moreinstructions to a processor for execution.

In some cases, the server 101 can be configured for data mining,extract, transform and load (ETL), or spidering (including Web Spideringwhere the system retrieves data from remote systems over a network andaccess an Application Programmer Interface or parses the resultingmarkup) operations, which may permit the system to load information froma raw data source (or mined data) into a data warehouse. The datawarehouse may be configured for use with a business intelligence system(e.g., Microstrategy®, Business Objects®). The media file managementsystem can include a data mining module adapted to search for mediacontent in various source locations, such as email accounts and variousnetwork sources, such as social networking accounts (e.g., Facebook®,Foursquare®, Google+®, Linkedin®) or on publisher sites, such as, forexample, weblogs.

The results of a user-initiated search for merchants can be presented toa user with the aid of a user interface (UI), such as a graphical userinterface (GUI), on an electronic device of the user. In somesituations, a GUI can enable a user to access the results of a searchfor entertainment events at a designated geographic.

The UI, such as GUI, can be provided on a display of an electronicdevice of the user that is adapted to provide geolocation information ofthe user, such as, for example, measure (or calculate) the geolocationof the user. The display can be a capacitive or resistive touch display,or a head-mountable display (e.g., Google® Goggles). Such displays canbe used with other systems and methods of the disclosure.

Methods of the disclosure may be facilitated with the aid ofapplications (apps) that may be installed on electronic devices ofusers. An app can include a GUI on a display of the electronic device ofthe user.

Systems of the disclosure may include both payer and merchant data. Thisadvantageously permits a system to determine relevance ranking that canbe user specific and directed at select one or more merchants or typesof merchants. The system can be owned and/or operated by a singleentity.

In some cases, the merchant and/or payer information can be stored in amemory location of the system. Accordingly, relevance ranking may be afunction of both payer and merchant information. For instance, amerchant may intend to target payers of a given age group. In somecases, a search for merchants by a payer can provide merchants thatconsider the payer to be relevant to the merchants.

FIG. 2 provides an example of an aspect of a mobile payment systemprovided in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. One or moretransaction device 200 can communicate with one or more external device210 across a network 220.

The transaction device 200 can be provided at a point-of-sale (POS). ThePOS may be at a merchant location, such as a location of a store,business, or physical point of a financial transaction. Examples of POSlocations include, without limitation, food stores, grocery stores,cafes, electronic stores, department stores, bars, clubs, restaurantsand book stores. A POS can be the site of a transaction, such aspurchase or exchange of items, goods, and/or services.

The transaction device 200 may be any type of device, such as personalcomputers (e.g., portable PC), slate or tablet PC's (e.g., Apple® iPad,Samsung® Galaxy Tab), telephones, Smart phones (e.g., Apple® iPhone,Android-enabled device, Blackberry®), or personal digital assistants.The transaction device can be or can function as a register at a POS.The transaction device can have a central processing unit (CPU) 202,memory 204, user interface 206, and/or communications interface 208.These components have one or more features or characteristics asdescribed elsewhere herein. The CPU can be in communication with thememory, user interface, and/or communications interface and/or candirect the operation of the transaction device.

The user interface 206 can be presented on an electronic display of thetransaction device 200. The user interface can be presented through aweb browser or application running on the transaction device. Theelectronic display can be a screen, such as an LED screen, OLED screen,LCD screen, plasma screen, and/or touchscreen (e.g., capacitive orresistive touch display). One or more individual associated with themerchant 240 can interact with the transaction device via the userinterface. For example, the transaction device can function as aregister, and a clerk can view information and enter information throughthe transaction device interface. In some instances, a buyer 230 may ormay not directly interact with the transaction device. For example, aclerk can permit a buyer to enter information into the transactiondevice through the user interface. Alternatively, the buyer can provideinformation to the clerk who enters information to the user interface.The buyer can view information provided by the transaction device.Alternatively, the buyer does not view information displayed on thetransaction device.

A card reader 234 can be provided in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. In one example, the buyer 230 can provide a payment card232 which can be read by the card reader. The card reader can be coupledto or in communication with the transaction device 200. For example, thecard reader can be communication with one or more processor 202 of thetransaction device. In other examples, the card reader can communicatewith the transaction device via one or more communication interface 208.

In some embodiments, the card reader 234 is integrated as a part of thetransaction device 200. Alternatively, the card reader can be a separatedevice from the transaction device and can convey information to thetransaction device. The card reader can communicate with the transactiondevice via a hard-wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, thecard reader is integrated as part of a mobile device that is capable ofcommunicating with the transaction device. The card reader can beattached to or in communication with a mobile device that cancommunicate with the transaction device.

The card reader 234 can read information from the payment card 232 andtransfer the information to the transaction device 200. The payment cardcan optionally be a physical card comprising a magnetic stripe,integrated chip, or have other forms of encoded information. The paymentcard can be a credit card, debit card, or other type of paymentauthenticating piece. The card reader can be capable of readinginformation from a magnetic chip, integrated chip or other forms ofencoded information. For example, the card reader is capable of readinginformation from the payment card with a single swipe. The card readercan have a slot through which the payment card may pass through. Thepayment card can have a read head that can contact or come into closeproximity to a magnetic strip of the payment card, an integrated chip ofthe payment card, or other encoded information on the payment card.Information read from the payment card can be transferred to via thetransaction device in a raw form, which can decode the information.Alternatively, the card reader can decode some or all of the informationprior to transferring the information to the transaction device. Thetransaction device can store information from the payment card in memory204. The transaction device optionally sends information from thepayment card via a communication interface 208 to an external device210.

In some embodiments, the buyer can also present a gift card. Informationcan be collected from the gift card and provided to the transactiondevice. The gift card information can be read via the card reader,through a separate scanner, or any other peripheral device that canconvey the information to the transaction device. Information from thegift card can be directly provided to the transaction device. A giftcard can be a restricted monetary equivalent or an account having astored value or a prepaid balance. The gift card can be received by theuser as an electronic gift card. The gift card can have opticallyencoded information that can be scanned to convey information to thetransaction device. Optionally, the buyer can have a mobile device orother device that can have gift card information. For example, themobile device can convey electronic gift card information to thetransaction device. The mobile device can display optically encodedinformation about the gift card, which can be read and conveyed to thetransaction device. In one example, optically encoded information isread through a scanner, which can be communication with one or moreprocessor of the transaction device. In other examples, the card readercan communicate with the transaction device via one or morecommunication interface.

The transaction device 200 can communicate with one or more externaldevices 210 over a network 220. The network can be a local area network(LAN) or wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet. The network canbe a telecommunications network, such as a cell phone network, or datanetwork.

An external device 210 may be any type of device, such as servers,personal computers (e.g., portable PC), slate or tablet PC's (e.g.,Apple® iPad, Samsung® Galaxy Tab), telephones, Smart phones (e.g.,Apple® iPhone, Android-enabled device, Blackberry®), or personal digitalassistants.

The external device can have a CPU 212, communications interface 214,and/or memory, such as one or more databases 216 a, 216 b, 216 c. Theexternal device can optionally have a user interface. The externaldevice can be at the POS. Alternatively, the external device can beremote to the POS and/or transaction device. The external device can bein a different facility or room than the POS and/or the transactiondevice. The external device can be at a different part of the world thanthe POS and/or transaction device.

In one example, a user database 216 a, product database 216 b, and/ortransaction database 216 c can be provided. The user database caninclude information about the user, such as the user's name, contactinformation (e.g., email address, mailing address, telephone number,social networks), date of birth, payment card information (e.g., paymentcard number, expiration date, cardholder name, security code), useraccount settings and/or preferences. The product database can includeinformation about products that can be purchased. For example, merchantside information relating to available products, categories of products,costs, expiration dates, and/or inventory. The transaction database caninclude information about transactions (e.g., items that were purchased,financial exchange during purchase, fees, taxes, payment cardinformation). The databases can be provided separately or combined. Thedatabases can be provided in memories of different devices, or can beprovided within one or more of the same device. The database can beprovided in a memory of an external device, or can be providedseparately from the external device and accessed by the external device.The device(s) can be in communication with one another so thatinformation from the various databases can be accessed and/oraggregated. User information, product information, and/or transactioninformation can be pulled during a transaction, such as a financialtransaction at a point of sale. Buyer account information can be storedin a single or multiple of the databases described herein. In someinstances, a buyer account can include user information and/or financialinformation (e.g., payment information).

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a buyer 230 mayapproach a POS. The buyer can provide a payment card 232, which can beswiped or read by the card reader 234. The buyer and/or merchant 240 caninteract with a transaction device 200. For example, the transactiondevice can have a screen that can include information that can be readby the merchant and/or buyer. For example, the screen can displayinformation about one or more product that the buyer is purchasing fromthe merchant. Once the payment card has been swiped, information fromthe payment card can be provided to the transaction device. Thetransaction device can communicate over a network 220 with the externaldevice. The communication may occur via a communication interface 208 ofthe transaction device and a communication interface 214 of the externaldevice. The external device can access one or more databases 216 a, 216b, 216 c. For example, if the buyer already has a user account,information from the database pertaining to the user account can betransferred and/or displayed at the transaction device. If the buyerdoes not have a user account, a buyer can have an option of creating anaccount on the spot. Information about the payment card can be sent tofrom the transaction device to the external device. One or more databaserecord can be created for the user, optionally using the payment cardinformation. Optionally, supplemental information can be provided fromthe transaction device (e.g., provided by the user or merchant, or by agift card) to the external device to be part of the database records.The information to be used in the user account can be parsed out on thetransaction device side, and/or the external device side. Even if a useraccount already exists, a buyer can be presented with an option ofadding the payment card information to the buyer's account. Informationabout the payment card can be sent from the transaction device to theexternal device and can be added to the database records.

Once a user account is created with information about a payment card,the payment card information can be used in future transactions. Theuser can conduct financial transactions with one or more merchants thatare part of the system without having to swipe or bring the physicalpayment card. Thus a financial transaction can occur without requiringthe presence of the physical card at the site of the transaction. Thepayment card information can be utilized in the transaction. The useraccount information can be accessed to bring up the payment cardinformation without swiping the payment card. In some instances, theuser can have a mobile device, such as a smartphone when conducting thefuture transactions. The mobile device of the user can be capable ofgiving the merchant permission to access the payment card information ofthe user from the user account, or the mobile device can access thepayment card information from the user account and send necessarypayment information to the transaction device. A user interface can beprovided on the mobile device through which a user can select a paymentcard to be used in the electronic transaction.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a payment interface provided at a point ofsale in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. A user 310 caninteract with a transaction device 300. The user and transaction devicecan be provided at a point-of-sale POS, such as a merchant location. Insome instances, the user provides a payment card 330, which can be readby a card reader 320 in communication with the transaction device.

In some embodiments, the card reader 320 is integrated as a part of thetransaction device 300. Alternatively, the card reader can be a separatedevice from the transaction device and can convey information to thetransaction device. The card reader can communicate with the transactiondevice via a hard-wired or wireless connection.

The card reader 320 can read information from the payment card 330 andtransfer the information to the transaction device 300. The payment cardcan optionally be a physical card comprising a magnetic stripe,integrated chip, or have other forms of encoded information. The paymentcard can be a credit card, debit card, or other type of paymentauthenticating piece. The card reader can be capable of readinginformation from a magnetic chip, integrated chip or other forms ofencoded information. For example, the card reader is capable of readinginformation from the payment card with a single swipe. The card readercan have a slot through which the payment card may pass through or inwhich a payment card can be inserted. The payment card can have a readhead that can contact or come into close proximity to a magnetic stripof the payment card, an integrated chip of the payment card, or otherencoded information on the payment card. The payment card can be inclose proximity to the card reader in order to be read. For example, thecard can be within about 10 feet, 5 feet, 2 feet, 1 foot, 3 inches, 2inches, 1 inch, 0.5 inches, or contacting the card reader. In someinstances, the card reader may have one or more characteristics,features, or components as described in U.S. Patent Publication No.2012/0095907, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.Information read from the payment card can include information about thepayment card, such as the payment card number, payment card type,payment card expiration date, security code on the payment card,cardholder name, and/or other information. The information can betransferred to via the transaction device in a raw form, which candecode the information. Alternatively, the card reader can decode someor all of the information prior to transferring the information to thetransaction device.

In alternative embodiments, card-less payment techniques can beemployed. For instance, payment information may be provided from amobile device in proximity to a transaction device. It may be determinedthat a payer's mobile device is within a threshold proximity to amerchant's device. The payer may have an option to consent to enter intoa payment transaction with the merchant without the presence of apayment card. In some instances, information identifying the payer maybe provided to a merchant's device. Such information may include name ofpayer, photo of payer, or any other identifying information describedelsewhere herein. Such information may be sent via the mobile device, ormay be entered into the transaction device.

In some embodiments, the system further includes a scanner 340 thatreads gift card 350 information. The scanner 340 can be integrated as apart of the transaction device 300. Alternatively, the scanner can be aseparate device from the transaction device and can convey informationto the transaction device. The scanner can communicate with thetransaction device via a hard-wired or wireless connection. In someinstances, the card reader 320 can provide the scanner functionality.The card reader may be the scanner, the scanner and the card reader maybe integrated into a single device, or the scanner and card reader maybe separate devices. A scanner can be configured to capture opticalinformation. A scanner can capture signals from anywhere along theelectromagnetic spectrum (e.g., visible light, infra-red, ultraviolent).

A gift card 350 can be provided in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. The gift card may belong to the same user who provides thepayment card 330. The gift card can be an electronic gift card that wasprovided to the user via another individual or entity. The gift card canbe provided in one or more forms. The systems and methods describedherein may be capable of collecting information from the gift card in asingle technique or may be capable of collecting information viamultiple techniques. The systems and methods described herein may becapable of accommodating multiple types of gift cards, which may or maynot include multiple types of electronic gift cards.

Any description of a gift card can apply to other cards or promotionsthat can utilize similar information. For example, coupons, discounts,specials, recommendations can be used instead of a gift card, or viceversa. These can include card or promotions that provide dollar values,percent discounts, multiple items-for-one item or any reduced number ofitems, or loyalty programs. For example, such other cards or promotionscan include information useful for the creation of a user account (e.g.,recipient's name, email address). In one illustration, a merchant canemail a 30% off coupon to a recipient. In order to redeem the coupon,the recipient's name and/or email address is used to confirm the coupon.The coupon can be scanned for redemption, and information about therecipient, such as the recipient's name and/or email, can be received.

In one embodiment, a gift card is sent to a recipient in an electronicformat. For example, the gift card can be emailed to the recipient, sentvia SMS, provided through social networking site or other website, ortransmitted via other means. A link to a gift card can be provided tothe recipient via various electronic pathways (e.g., email, text, sms,provided via a social networking site, provided on a web page, etc.). Agift card can be provided for one or more specified merchant. Forexample, the gift card can be directed for a single merchant (e.g., thecard can be redeemed only at “AAA Coffee Shop”), or can be specified fora group of merchants (e.g., the card can be redeemed at “AAA CoffeeShop”, “BBB Coffee Shop”, and/or “CCC Bakery”). The group of merchantscan be the same type of merchants (e.g., coffee shops, bakeries,restaurants, electronics stores, etc.) or can include different types ofmerchants. The card can be redeemed at any of the merchants utilizingpayment systems and methods described herein, or a subset of suchmerchants.

The gift card can be sent via a sender. The sender can utilize anapplication or program in order to send and/or personalize the giftcard. The application or program can be the same application and/orprogram used to display or redeem the gift card on a recipient's device.The application and/or program can also be capable of performing one ormore steps provided herein, such as initiating a financial transactionwithout requiring the presence of a physical payment card at the site ofthe transaction.

The gift card can be personalized to the recipient. For example thesender of the gift card can select one or more merchants at which thegift card can be redeemed. The sender can select one or more group ofmerchants at which the gift card can be redeemed. The group of merchantscan include the same type of merchants, merchants in the same geographicarea, or any combination of merchants. The sender can also select atheme, layout, or visual appearance of the gift card. For example, thesender can determine a text message to be included in the gift card. Thetext message can be selected from one or more pre-existing templates, orcan be written in free form by the sender.

The sender can also include one or more image, video, and/or audioportion to be included in the gift card. The sender can select from oneor more pre-existing image, video, and/or audio options. Alternatively,the sender can create and/or provide the image, video, and/or audiooption. In one example, the sender can capture an image of the sender oranything else and include the captured image in the presentation of thegift certificate. Similarly, the sender can make a video and/or audiorecording of the sender or anything else and include the video and/oraudio in the presentation of the gift certificate. An image capturedevice, such as a camera (which can capture static and/or dynamicimages), can be utilized by the sender. Similarly, an audio capturedevice, such as a microphone, can be used by the sender. The sender canupload a pre-existing image, video, and/or audio file to be included inthe gift card. The sender can pre-edit the image, video, and/or audiofile prior to uploading the file for use with the gift card.Alternatively, an application for the gift card can enable the sender toedit the file after the file has been uploaded.

The sender can select the layout of the text, images, and/or video. Thesender can select a sequence of images or screens to be presented in thegift card. The sender can select one or more animation or animatedsequence provided in the gift card. In some instances, the gift card canbe provided in a user interactive form. For example, an electronic giftcard can be provided to the recipient, who may click on the electronicgift card. The electronic gift card can respond to one or more userinput, which can include a click, swipe, drag, keyboard press, gesture,voice command, or any other type of user input. In one example, avirtual gift card unwrapping process can be provided. The unwrappingprocess can incorporate one or more series of screens. In someinstances, the unwrapping process can be an interactive process thatincorporates recipient input. The unwrapping process can be customizedby the sender. The message to the recipient and/or the form of themessage can be customized by the sender.

The gift card can be viewed by the recipient via a device. For example,the gift card can be displayed on a user interface of the recipient'sdevice. In one example, the electronic gift card or link to electronicgift card can be shown on a screen of a device, such as devicesdescribed elsewhere herein.

An electronic gift card can include information encoded therein. Forexample, the electronic gift card can include a recipient's name,recipient's email address, recipient's phone number, recipient's socialnetworking information, gift card amount, merchants to which the giftcard can apply, sender name, and/or sender email address.

An electronic gift card can be redeemed at a POS via multipletechniques. For example, the electronic gift card can include an opticalrepresentation that can be scanned at the POS. In some examples, theoptical representation can be a barcode (e.g., 1D, 2D, or 3D barcode),quick response (QR) code, or other image that can have informationencoded therein or accessible therefrom. The electronic gift card can beprinted by the recipient, and the printout can be taken to the POS andscanned. In another example, the electronic gift card is displayed on auser device, such as mobile device (e.g., smartphone). The mobile devicecan be taken to the POS and the optical representation can be scanned.In some embodiments, the mobile device can utilize a web version of theelectronic gift card. In other embodiments, specialized applications,such as a passbook (e.g., Passbook) can be provided, which can provide ashortcut to the electronic gift card or present the electronic giftcard. In some instances, applications, such as those capable ofpermitting financial transactions at a point of sale or interacting withmerchants that are part of the system, can also display the electronicgift card. Scanning may occur with use of a scanner, as describedherein. Optical techniques can be utilized to scan the electronic giftcard. The scanner can include an image capture device, such as a camera.The scanner can include a digital camera having desired resolutioncapabilities. In some instances, the scanner can need to be in closeproximity to the gift card (e.g., in printed or electronic displayformat) in order to read the gift card. The representation of the giftcard can need to be at the point of sale. The scanner can require thatthe electronic gift card be less than or equal to about 500 feet, 300feet, 100 feet, 50 feet, 30 feet, 20 feet, 15 feet, 10 feet, 5 feet, 3feet, 2 feet, 1 foot, 6 inches, 3 inches, 2 inches, or 1 inch away.

In other embodiments, the electronic gift card can be scanned via othertechniques. For example, a mobile device can emit a wireless signal. Thewireless signal can be captured by a scanner and/or transaction device.The mobile device can emit a signal that can be captured by a devicewithin a predetermined proximity (e.g., less than or equal to about 5miles, 3 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile, 0.5 mile, 0.2 miles, 50 feet, 30 feet,20 feet, 15 feet, 10 feet, 5 feet, 3 feet, 2 feet, 1 foot, 6 inches, 3inches, or 1 inch). In some instances, the predetermined proximity canvary based on signal strength. In some instances infra-red signals canbe provided. In some instances, a physical manifestation of theelectronic gift card, whether it be on a mobile device, can be within apredetermined proximity to a scanner in order to be scanned.

The scanner 340 can read information from gift card 350 and transfer theinformation to the transaction device 300. Information read from thegift card can include information about the recipient of the gift card,such as the recipient name, contact information (e.g., email address,mailing address, phone number, SMS, social networking information),and/or other information. The information can include information aboutthe sender of the gift card (e.g., sender name, sender contactinformation, sender financial information). Gift card information can beprovided (e.g., transaction amount, balance remaining, etc.). Theinformation can be transferred to via the transaction device in a rawform, which can decode the information. Alternatively, the scanner candecode some or all of the information prior to transferring theinformation to the transaction device.

The payment card holder 330 and the gift card recipient 350 can be thesame individual. Alternatively, different individuals can be the paymentcard owner and the gift card recipient. The individual who swipes thepayment card and presents the gift card can be a customer of themerchant. Alternatively, an individual associated with the merchant,such as a clerk at a register can swipe the credit card and/or scan theelectronic gift card.

The transaction device 300 can be provided at the POS. The transactiondevice can function as a register at the POS. Alternatively, thetransaction device can be in communication with the register.

The transaction device can store the information received from the cardreader and/or scanner in memory. The transaction device can communicatethe information received from the card reader and/or scanner to anexternal device. In some instances, the external device can be one ormore servers. Alternatively, the external device can be a customer'smobile device. The information from the gift card and payment card canbe combined to create an account for the customer at the POS. The useraccount can be created without requiring any extra input from thecustomer. The customer need not perform any action prior to arriving atthe POS and initiating the transaction in order to create the account.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of how information from multiple sourcescan be combined to automatically create a user account in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

As previously described, a gift card, such as an electronic gift cardcan have information about a recipient of the gift card, or otherrelated information. For example, the recipient name, and recipientemail can be included. For example, a sender can specify a recipientname and recipient email when sending the electronic gift card to therecipient. Such information can be obtained by a transaction device whenthe electronic gift card is scanned.

Also, as previously described, a payment card can have related financialinformation about the payer. For example, the payment card (e.g., creditcard, debit card) number, payment card expiration date, payment card QVCnumber, payment card holder name, and/or other info can be obtained.Such information can be obtained by a transaction device when thepayment card is read.

In some embodiments, the information from the gift card and the paymentcard can be combined. For example, information from both the gift cardand payment card can be collected at the transaction device.Alternatively, they can be collected from multiple devices but can becommunicated to a common data repository. The combined information canbe used to create a user account for the consumer. For example, aconsumer name (e.g., gift card recipient name), consumer email (e.g.,gift card recipient email), consumer credit card number (e.g., paymentcard number) can be used to create an account for the consumer.

In one example, the consumer does not have a pre-existing paymentaccount with pre-stored payment card information. The merchant can bepart of the payment system which can utilize a consumer's mobile device,and permit the consumer to conduct a financial transaction with themerchant via the mobile device. The consumer can approach the merchantwithout a pre-existing account. The consumer's account can be createdusing information from the consumer's payment card and/or gift card. Insome instances, a combination of the consumer's payment card informationand gift card can be used. For example, when the consumer approaches themerchant to make the transaction, the consumer can be presented with theoption of creating an account on the spot. If the consumer accepts theoption, the account can be created utilizing the payment and/or giftcard information, without requiring the consumer to provide anyadditional information. This can provide an added sense of security tothe consumer and/or the merchant.

In another example, the consumer can have a pre-existing payment accountwith information about the consumer (e.g., consumer's name, emailaddress). However, the consumer may not yet have payment information(e.g., payment card information) stored with the account. Informationfrom the payment card and/or gift card can be used to automatically fillin the payment information for the consumer's payment account. Thepayment card can be automatically added or linked to the account, sothat in the future, the consumer can be able to pay through the accountwithout having to bring out the physical payment card. For example, whenthe consumer approaches the merchant to make the transaction, theconsumer can be presented with the option of creating adding the paymentcard information on the spot. If the consumer accepts the option, theaccount can be enabled to utilize the payment card information, withoutrequiring the consumer to provide any additional information. Thus,payment card can be utilized without requiring that the consumer everenter the payment card information.

FIG. 5 provides an example of a process flow for utilizing a paymentcard swipe in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. One ormore steps provided herein can be optional. In some instances,additional steps can be added or step can be modified or exchanged. Theorder can occur as presented, or alternative orders of steps can bepermitted.

A payment card can be read by a card reader at a point-of-sale (POS). Inone example, the payment card can be swiped by a card reader.Information from the payment card can be read and/or communicated viathe swipe. In other examples, information can be transmitted to the cardreader via optical signal, infrared signal, wirelessly, or any othertechnique.

Optionally, a gift card, such as an electronic gift card, can beprovided at a point-of-sale. The gift card can be read by the cardreader, scanner, or any other device. Information can be transmittedfrom the gift card via optical signal, infrared signal, wirelessly, orany other technique. Alternatively, information about the consumer, suchas information from a gift card, can be manually entered at the POS,such as into a transaction device. The transaction device can functionas a register for the merchant at the POS.

The system can determine, with aid of one or more processor, whether auser account exists for the cardholder. The user account can be for apayment system which can utilize pre-stored payment information for theuser. For example, a user account can have credit card information thatis accessible by the merchant via the system. The pre-stored informationcan be used to effect a transaction, even if the user does not present aphysical card at the POS. In some embodiments, a consumer presenting acredit card does not already have a user account.

If a user account does not already exist, the consumer is presented withan option of creating a user account on the spot at the POS. If theconsumer accepts the option of creating the user account, the paymentcard information is used to populate the user account. In someinstances, the payment card information can be sufficient to populatethe new user account in its entirety. In other embodiments, supplementalinformation can be provided. In one example, a consumer can also presenta gift card during the same transaction at which the consumer presentsthe payment card. Information from the gift card (e.g., electronic giftcard) can be used to supplement the information. For example, the giftcard can include personal information (e.g., recipient name, recipientemail address) about the recipient which can be used to populate part ofthe new user account. In other embodiments, the consumer can provideinformation at the POS location which can be used to create a portion ofthe user account. In some instances, the consumer can provide theinformation directly to a transaction device, via a mobile device, orcan provide information to a merchant who can enter the information intothe transaction device. In another example, another card or item of theconsumer can be used to glean supplemental information about theconsumer. Once the user account has been created, the transactionprocess can proceed.

If a user account already does exist, it can be determined, with aid ofa processor, whether the payment card that is read is already associatedwith the user account. The user account may or may not already havepayment card information. Pre-existing payment card information may ormay not include the card being read in the current transaction. Forexample, other payment cards can be associated with the account, and theinformation from the other payment cards can be provided with theaccount.

If the payment card at the current transaction is not already associatedwith a pre-existing user account, the user can be presented with anoption to add the payment card on the spot at the POS. If the consumeraccepts the option of adding the payment card information to the useraccount, the payment card information is used to populate financialtransaction information in the user account. The payment cardinformation can be provided as supplemental information to existing useraccount information (e.g., user's name, user's email address).Additional information may or may not be required to link the paymentcard information to the user's account. Adding the payment cardinformation at the POS via a swipe, can permit payment information to belinked to the user account without requiring the user to enter paymentcard information manually at any point. For example, when initiallycreating an account, the user can just provide certain information aboutthe user (e.g., name, email address) without entering any paymentinformation. The user can choose to link payment information to the useraccount via using the user's payment card. This can provide addedsecurity for the user and/or merchant. In some instances, the creditcard can be confirmed for a financial transaction prior to adding thecredit card to the user account. In other embodiments, once the paymentaccount information has been linked to the user account, the transactionprocess can proceed.

If the payment card is already associated with the user account, thetransaction process can proceed. In some instances, the transactionprocess can include conducting a financial verification process. Forexample, payment card and/or transaction information can be sent to anacquiring bank (e.g., merchant bank). The merchant bank can send paymentcard and/or transaction information to a credit card network (e.g.,Visa, Mastercard, Discover. Amex, Diners, etc.). The payment cardinformation and/or transaction information can then be sent from thecard network to an issuing bank (e.g., consumer's bank). Verificationcan be provided in order to provide an actual transfer of funds and/orapprove the transaction. In some instances, the financial check can beperformed before, concurrently with, or after creating the accountand/or linking a payment card to the account. In some instances, theaccount is created and/or the payment card information is added to theaccount only if the payment card passes the financial check.

In some instances, the payment may occur by using identifyinginformation of the payer. Identifying information may include a name,photo, identification number or string, contact information (e.g.,e-mail address, phone number), fingerprint, handscan, retinal scan,voice recognition, or any other identifying information. A system mayreceive consent from a payer to enter into a payment transaction with amerchant without the presence of a payment card. Upon receiving consent,information identifying the payer may be provided to the merchant. Themerchant may provide a selection of the payer's user account and aninstruction to process the payment transaction with the payer. A giftcard associated with the payer's user account to process the paymenttransaction may be used. This may be performed using any of the systemsand methods described elsewhere herein.

At any of the steps provided herein, a transaction device can beprovided which can have a user interface. The user interface can promptthe merchant or consumer at any point during the process. For example,the user interface can provide an option for the consumer to create anaccount on the spot, if the consumer does not already have an option. Aninput can be provided to the user interface regarding whether theconsumer would or would not like to create the account. In anotherexample, the user interface can provide an option for the consumer tolink the consumer payment card information with an existing account.Back-end processes can occur accordingly.

It should be understood from the foregoing that, while particularimplementations have been illustrated and described, variousmodifications can be made thereto and are contemplated herein. It isalso not intended that the invention be limited by the specific examplesprovided within the specification. The descriptions and illustrations ofthe preferable embodiments herein are not meant to be construed in alimiting sense. Furthermore, it shall be understood that all aspects ofthe invention are not limited to the specific depictions, configurationsor relative proportions set forth herein which depend upon a variety ofconditions and variables. Various modifications in form and detail ofthe embodiments of the invention will be apparent to a person skilled inthe art. It is therefore contemplated that the invention shall alsocover any such modifications, variations and equivalents. It is intendedthat the following claims define the scope of the invention and thatmethods and structures within the scope of these claims and theirequivalents be covered thereby.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, at anetwork payment system, a first indication of a first transactionbetween a user and a first merchant of a plurality of merchants, whereinthe first transaction involves a first merchant point of sale (POS)provision receiving user information associated with the user during afirst receiving operation, the user information received during thefirst receiving operation for use in both the first transaction and inan association to be stored, wherein the user information includesidentifying information associated with the user and payment informationassociated with the user, wherein use of the user information receivedduring the first receiving operation in the first transaction includes atransfer between the user and the first merchant made using the paymentinformation associated with the user; storing the association betweenthe identifying information and the payment information at the networkpayment system automatically after the first transaction is initiatedand using the user information received during the first receivingoperation, including by storing the identifying information and thepayment information at the network payment system; receiving, at thenetwork payment system, a second indication of a second transactionbetween the user and a second merchant of the plurality of merchantsthat is conducted using a second merchant POS provision, wherein thesecond indication includes the identifying information associated withthe user; and in response to receipt of the second indication thatincludes the identifying information associated with the user,retrieving the association between the identifying information and thepayment information that is stored in the network payment system andproviding transaction instructions from the network payment system tothe second merchant POS provision to process the second transactionusing the identifying information and the payment information used inthe first transaction in response to use of the user information in thefirst transaction, wherein the transaction instructions include at leastthe payment information.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstmerchant POS provision receives the user information associated with theuser during the first receiving operation at least in part by receivingthe user information associated with the user from a machine-readablestorage medium associated with the user during the first transaction. 3.The method of claim 2, wherein the machine-readable storage medium is apayment card that is used by the user to pay during the firsttransaction, and wherein the first merchant POS provision receives theuser information associated with the user during the first receivingoperation at least in part by reading the user information associatedwith the user from the payment card using a payment card reader of thefirst merchant POS provision.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst merchant POS provision receives the user information associatedwith the user during the first receiving operation at least in part byoptically reading the user information associated with the user using anoptical scanner of the first merchant POS provision.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first merchant POS provision receives the userinformation associated with the user during the first receivingoperation at least in part by receiving a signal wirelessly.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the user information associated with the userindicates at least one of an identity of the user or a preference of theuser.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying that thefirst merchant is of a first type of merchant and the second merchant isof a second type of merchant.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising identifying that the first merchant and the second merchantare both of a same type of merchant.
 9. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: generating, at the network payment system, a user accountassociated with the user, the user account comprising the userinformation associated with the user.
 10. The method of claim 1, whereinthe transaction instructions include the payment information associatedwith the user.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein providing thetransaction instructions from the network payment system to the secondmerchant POS provision is configured to cause processing of the secondtransaction using at least the payment information associated with theuser of the user information associated with the user.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein storing the association between the identifyinginformation and the payment information at the network payment systemoccurs contemporaneously with at least part of the first transaction.13. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the association between theidentifying information and the payment information at the networkpayment system occurs after the first transaction.
 14. A systemcomprising: one or more processors of a network payment system; and oneor more memory units communicatively coupled to the one or moreprocessors and storing instructions that, when executed by the one ormore processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: receiving, at the network payment system, a first indicationof a first transaction between a user and a first merchant of aplurality of merchants, wherein the first transaction involves a firstmerchant point of sale (POS) provision receiving user informationassociated with the user during a first receiving operation, the userinformation received during the first receiving operation for use inboth the first transaction and in an association to be stored, whereinthe user information includes identifying information associated withthe user and payment information associated with the user, wherein useof the user information received during the first receiving operation inthe first transaction includes a transfer between the user and the firstmerchant made using the payment information associated with the user;storing the association between the identifying information and thepayment information at the network payment system automatically afterthe first transaction is initiated and using the user informationreceived during the first receiving operation, including by storing theidentifying information and the payment information at the networkpayment system; receiving, at the network payment system, a secondindication of a second transaction between the user and a secondmerchant of the plurality of merchants that is conducted using a secondmerchant POS provision, wherein the second indication includes theidentifying information associated with the user; and in response toreceipt of the second indication that includes the identifyinginformation associated with the user, retrieving the association betweenthe identifying information and the payment information that is storedin the network payment system and providing transaction instructionsfrom the network payment system to the second merchant POS provision toprocess the second transaction using the identifying information and thepayment information used in the first transaction in response to use ofthe user information in the first transaction, wherein the transactioninstructions include at least the payment information.
 15. The system ofclaim 14, wherein the first merchant POS provision receives the userinformation associated with the user during the first receivingoperation at least in part by receiving the user information associatedwith the user from a machine-readable storage medium associated with theuser.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the machine-readable storagemedium is a payment card, and wherein the first merchant POS provisionreceives the user information associated with the user during the firstreceiving operation at least in part by reading the user informationassociated with the user from the payment card using a payment cardreader of the first merchant POS provision.
 17. The system of claim 14,wherein the first merchant POS provision receives the user informationassociated with the user during the first receiving operation at leastin part by optically reading the user information associated with theuser using an optical scanner of the first merchant POS provision. 18.The system of claim 14, wherein the first merchant POS provisionreceives the user information associated with the user during the firstreceiving operation at least in part by receiving a signal wirelessly.19. The system of claim 14, wherein the transaction instructions includethe payment information.
 20. A non-transitory computer readable storagemedium having embodied thereon a program, wherein the program isexecutable by a processor to perform a method comprising: receiving, ata network payment system, a first indication of a first transactionbetween a user and a first merchant of a plurality of merchants, whereinthe first transaction involves a first merchant point of sale (POS)provision receiving user information associated with the user during afirst receiving operation, the user information received during thefirst receiving operation for use in both the first transaction and inan association to be stored, wherein the user information includesidentifying information associated with the user and payment informationassociated with the user, wherein use of the user information receivedduring the first receiving operation in the first transaction includes atransfer between the user and the first merchant made using the paymentinformation associated with the user; storing the association betweenthe identifying information and the payment information at the networkpayment system automatically after the first transaction is initiatedand using the user information received during the first receivingoperation, including by storing the identifying information and thepayment information at the network payment system; receiving, at thenetwork payment system, a second indication of a second transactionbetween the user and a second merchant of the plurality of merchantsthat is conducted using a second merchant POS provision, wherein thesecond indication includes the identifying information associated withthe user; and in response to receipt of the second indication thatincludes the identifying information associated with the user,retrieving the association between the identifying information and thepayment information that is stored in the network payment system andproviding transaction instructions from the network payment system tothe second merchant POS provision to process the second transactionusing the identifying information and the payment information used inthe first transaction in response to use of the user information in thefirst transaction, wherein the transaction instructions include at leastthe payment information.
 21. The non-transitory computer readablestorage medium of claim 20, wherein the user information associated withthe user indicates a preference of the user.
 22. The non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium of claim 20, the method furthercomprising: generating, at the network payment system, a user accountassociated with the user, the user account comprising the userinformation associated with the user.